Program Overview

The Biocomputational Engineering (BCE) program offered through the University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering is designed to train students in the fundamentals of engineering and life science technology, and computational methods with strong skills in computer biology and medicine. By combining the growing fields of bioengineering, life sciences, and quantitative problem solving, the Biocomputational Engineering Program is poised to have a significant impact on society.

Whether you are interested in a career in vaccine development, infectious disease control, or public and global health, these interests can be turned into reality. Now more than ever before, the biotech industry needs innovators from all different fields. Computer science, mathematics, statistics, and tech all help improve patient care through artifical intelligence, interoperability, and cloud and life science technology. The biotech field is where you can combine your passions and goals with the skills needed to create global advances in health and medicine.

Program Objectives

The bachelor of science in the Biocomputational Engineering program is one of the first of its kind. The objective of the BCE Degree Program is to provide a breadth of fundamentals in the field of bioengineering, a discipline grounded in physics, chemistry, and biology, with quantitative problem solving.  Students will develop skills in computational methods and data science that can be applied to the modeling of complex biological systems and the analysis of complex biological data sets in order to create new knowledge from the molecular to organ to system levels, and to develop innovative processes for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.

Program Curriculum

The curriculum will offer junior- and senior-level courses, where students will utilize active and inquiry-based learning methods in the brand new, state-of-the-art Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (BSE) education facility on the Universities at Shady Grove campus. Graduates of the program will be well-positioned with biotech skills for rewarding biotech career opportunities in the emerging biopharma, biomedical, and biotech industry centered in Maryland and throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

The BCE degree program at UMD has several distinguishing features, including in-depth, first-hand learning taught by industry professionals, convenient location, low student-to-teacher ratio, and full access to UMD College Park, to name a few. Learn more about Biocomputational Engineering at UMD

The Biotech Skills Learned Throughout the Program

fundamentals included in the instruction skills taught by the program
Mathematics and Statistics for Engineers Computer Programming (Python, C++, R)
Molecular Biology Machine Learning
Computational Systems Biology Data Visualization
Synthetic Biology Computer Modeling
Fluid Dynamics, Mass Transfer Molecular Lab Techniques

Biocomputational Engineering vs Biomedical Engineering vs Bioinformatics: What's the Difference?

This digital resource showcases the career opportunities in the booming biotech industry as well as the biocomputational engineering degree that empowers and equips individuals to make an impact in biotech. Download this guide to learn more about the many career pathways with a bce degree.